


Uncle Steve's Adventures

by randomcheez



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Child Tony Stark, Uncle Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomcheez/pseuds/randomcheez
Summary: Steve Rogers never disappeared and got iced. He stayed behind and has been Tony Stark's uncle, along with Bucky. These are snippets of their moments together as Tony grows up.
Kudos: 73





	1. 1 year old Tony- First Steps

The first time baby Tony started to walk I freaked out. We were sitting around, playing with his toy cars, just the two of us, when Tony drove a car away from either of our grasps. I started to get up, but Tony did too. He put his hands on the ground and slowly lifted his butt into the air, letting his legs straighten slowly. All I could do was watch. And wait. I was frozen in place as he managed to straighten himself up, a huge proud smile on his own face. “Look Uwnclel!” He shouted happily, taking one foot off the ground and placing it in front of the other. I crawled over as fast as I could, grabbing onto his arms to keep him from falling. I was so terrified of him falling down.

“Tony! Oh my goodness,” I gasped as he tried to take another step. Tony just smiled, not realising that something could go wrong. His innocent smile tugging at his lips.

“Car, car,” he said, pointing towards his red toy car. His favourite.

“Tony, stop! You might hurt yourself, fall down some stairs or something and die!” I said to him, though I doubted he would understand what I was saying.

“Car, car!” He said more excitedly, walking into my chest, wanting to grab his toy car. I couldn’t let him hurt himself, that would be cruel. Howard wouldn’t care, but I certainly did. So would Bucky.

I heard a deep laugh. Bucky. “Don’t be so dramatic, Rogers,” he said. I turned to look at him, standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. I stared at him, not able to stop myself. “Just let him walk. Find out for himself if he will fall over, you’ll just have to catch him when he does.” He had no idea what he was saying, that was crazy talk.

“NO! I can’t do that Bucky. I can’t let him walk, he’ll just hurt himself, and I won’t let him,” I told him, my wide eyes turning into a glare. Tony was trying to escape my grasp, still trying to get to his car.

“Uwnclel. Car,” he ordered in his most commanding tone.

Bucky rolled his eyes and sighed, walking over. “Seriously, Steve. Get over yourself. How did you think you learned to walk huh? That one day you could just walk properly?” He was being sarcastic again and I didn’t appreciate it. He wasn’t being serious.

I turned back to Tony and wiggled backwards a little, holding onto Tony’s little arms as tightly as I dared, without hurting him. I would never forgive myself if I hurt him. Tony took a wobbly step towards me, a look of concentration on his young face. He was only about a year old, this was too early! Bucky came and sat behind Tony, holding his own arms out, lightly supporting Tony’s back. It reassured me a little bit. I just didn’t want him to learn to walk and accidentally start walking when we weren’t there and walk into something sharp, or fall down something. It was a terrifying thought.

“Car!” Tony shouted happily, pointing at the car that was only inches away from his feet. I let him slowly walk, keeping my eyes on him at all times. Eventually, he got to the car and fell to the floor, landing on his butt. I let out a small cry, before realising that he had done it himself. He picked up the car, not looking hurt at all and held up the car. “My car," he announced and started driving the car up my arm, acting like nothing was wrong. I still held onto his arms but slowly let go, still slightly scared.

I looked up to see Bucky smiling at me. “Good job, Steve. You actually looked scared for the first time in years!” He seemed amused by this. There was nothing funny about this. “Oh come on. I’m just messing with you. It’s kind of sweet, but at the same time…. You’re overprotective.”

I scowled lightly at him, slowly letting go of Tony who didn’t seem to care about anything except the car.


	2. 2 year old Tony- Saying Steve's Name

"Okay Tony, now say it with me Ste-" I said slowly so that Tony would understand. He was now 2 and he was starting to say words, but he had yet to call me Steve, only Uncle, or as he would say it 'Uwnclel'. He had yet to learn how to say Steve. It was both cute and frustrating.

Tony looked up at that me with his big eyes as he held a toy screwdriver. "St…" He started and I leaned forward slightly, eager to hear him say it. "Stars-"

"Huh?" I said out loud, confused, I didn't ask him to say stars, where did he get that idea from?

"And…" He said it slowly, "Stripes." He smiled at me, teeth and all. I frowned lightly and then shrugged. I knew who it was, I knew exactly who would pull this kind of joke.

"Say Steve," I said again, smiling at him with encouragement. Bucky would pay for this.

"Stars," Tony said, "And Stripes."

"No. Steeeeeeeve." I said slowly. This wasn't going as well as I had hoped it would.

"Ste?" He asked, cocking his head lightly to the side, a confused look on his face. He must be confused as to what he was saying, like he had never said it before. "Ste…be?"

I chuckled and picked him up lightly, swinging him in the air like he always loved. He giggled loudly as I put him down. "Good boy, Tony! You're one clever little boy," I praised him. Ha! Take that Bucky!

"Stars and Stripes!" He chuckled as I frowned lightly.

I suddenly had an idea, and it was a good one. "Ok, now say Jame Barnyard." I know I shouldn't be doing this but I just wanted to mess with Bucky, but at the same time I felt bad for messing with Tony's perception of our names. But… Bucky started it! Tony gave me a weird look, obviously confused and didn't say anything. "Ok. Bucky's-"

"Booky!" Tony cried loudly, smiling. I nodded quickly with a smile, ok here it goes.

"His name is Jame Barnyard," I told him and Tony gave me a tiny nod. His big eyes were looking at me with a slightly mischievous tint in them. Uh oh.

"Ja----me?" He started and I nodded encouragingly. I know he could do it. "Bar-n-ya-rd?" He basically asked it as a question and I nodded again.

"Yes, good boy, Tony. Bucky is Jame Barnyard," I said just as I heard someone scoff loudly.

I looked up, panic rippling through me, oh god Bucky! I did a double-take, oops, it was Peggy. Tony turned around and smiled. "Peggy!" He said loudly and she smiled, walking over and picking him up.

"Gosh, you've grown so big, Tony. Is Uncle Steve teaching you words?" She asked, specifically glancing at me. Oh dear, what have I done?

Tony nodded enthusiastically. "Stars and Stripes is Uwnclel Stebe! Uwnclel Booky is Jame Bar-nyard," he told her. Oops, busted. Peggy glanced at me with her evil glare that meant she was disappointed in me.

"Don't listen to the silly boys. Your Uncle Steve is just Steve and your Uncle Bucky is just Bucky," she said slowly so that he could understand. He looked at her and nodded slowly. Though I wasn't entirely convinced that he understood.

"Now, who am I?" I asked Tony, who turned around in Peggy's arms to look at me.

"Stars-," he paused, glancing quickly at Peggy. "Stebe." And I smiled brightly, taking him from Peggy and kissed the top of his head lightly.

"You're a good boy! Peggy, sorry about that," I said, putting Tony down again. She shook her head at me, not convinced.

"Don't play Bucky's games, it's not good for Tony to learn. We don't want him growing up like the two of you. Especially a mixture of the two of you!" She said, shaking her head still, a harsh tone underlying her words.

"What? We're the best role models in his life! He would grow up great if he was a mix of us!" I told her and she just glared.

"Where's Jarvis?" Tony suddenly asked and my mouth dropped slightly. He could say Jarvis but not Steve! How was that possible? I saw the small smile on Peggy's face and knew that she had taught Tony to say their names correctly. I will never understand the ways of Peggy Carter.


	3. 8 year old Tony- Science Fair

Today was Tony's very first science fair and I was so happy, proud and nervous! I knew he was just as nervous, but he would be great! He was the smartest kid in his class and he loved all this science stuff and making things. He got that from Howard, though I wasn't sure if that was a burden or a gift? I would never know. Everyone was here for the event, all us proud of our little Tony. Peggy, Bucky, Jarvis, Maria, even the Howling Commandos were here. Guess who wasn't? That's right, Howard Stark wasn't even here and it really disappointed me. I even went by his lab today to tell him he had to be there or else there would be consequences. Bucky didn't understand why I even bothered, but I had to try. I would never understand how Howard's mind worked. At least I could understand my little Tony.

"You're gonna be great, kid!" Bucky said just as I walked up behind him talking to Tony. Everyone else was walking around scoping out the competition. I knew Tony was nervous so I just asked everyone to leave. Tony glanced nervously up at him and shrugged.

"I don't know if it will work! I just… I…" Tony said, looking down at the ground. My heart ached lightly. I hated seeing him nervous or sad.

I walked in front of Tony and Bucky looked relieved, he wasn't very good with the emotional side of Tony, he liked to be the fun but gruff uncle. I kneeled down in front of Tony, who was now taller than me when I kneeled. He was only 8 and all his classmates were 10 or 11, and I knew he hated being the youngest. I put my hands on his shoulder. "Tony? Look at me," I said softly. It was really loud in here with all the students and their families, but I only focused on Tony. He looked at me with those wide eyes I was so used to. It was his nervous face. "You're going to be great! I know that Jarvis is very proud of the work you've done and he's confident that it'll work perfectly! You are going to be the best here, everything you did was thought through. Now! Brave little soldier, you are going to go out there, confident, and show the world what you have to offer. Or at least these other people. You are so much more dedicated than them. So show them what you have," I told him and he briefly smiled.

"You think so?" He asked me, hope in his voice.

"I know so! Now. You are a soldier, and you are confident! Repeat after me, 'I am strong, I am confident, I am wonderful, my Uncle Steve is proud of me,'" I said and he repeated after me, a smile growing bigger with each word. "That's it, Tony! Now, good luck. Not that you need it. Just remember that whatever happens we're all sooo proud of you for finishing this project." I told him and he quickly gave me a hug, a big, squeezing hug.

"Thanks, Uncle Steve, you're the best!" He said and pulled away with a grin. He ran off to stand behind his table with his project.

Bucky looked at me with astonishment. "Wow. Even I was moved by that! How the hell do you do that?" He asked with a chuckle. I just shrugged and smiled, watching Tony getting ready.

"I just have a way with words. And I know Tony, he needed to hear those things." I told him.

"He really loves you. You talk to him like he's your equal and he really, really looks up to you," Bucky told me and I looked sideways at him, my eyebrows raised.

"Wow! James Barnes, showing his sappy side! Never thought I would see the day." I said, making him glare at me. "Oh, no the moment is gone."

A few minutes later and the science fair began when the head master announced that it would start. The others finally appeared and we stood back, watching as some people came over and checked out his project. Tony had built himself a small robot prototype. I wasn't entirely sure what it did, since he wouldn't show any of us what he was up to except for Jarvis who was the only one Tony would allow to help. From this point of view I could see Jarvis standing to the side of Tony, just beside the table that the robot stood on, and was mimicking the robot's actions. It was actually the most hilarious thing to watch. A grown man, moving like a robotic arm, fully concentrated on it. Tony explained to the people how it worked and how he had done all the things that he had to do to make it work, and the people looked impressed and overwhelmed.

About 20 minutes later there were people walking around chatting about Tony's project. "Wow, that was Howard Stark's son! Amazing," someone said. It made me so proud. Soon there was a huge group of people milling around, trying to see and listen to Tony talk about his robot. Maria quickly interjected to ask for a photo. She ushered me, Bucky and Peggy over to get a photo of us with Tony and the Robot, and of course Jarvis, who was his assistant. "Quick! Smile Tony!" Maria shouted over the talk of the people gathered. "Okay, one more, Bucky! Smile more!" The flash went off and that was the photo session done. I gave Tony a thumbs up as we quickly moved out of the way so that the teachers could see and talk to Tony.

"Wow. Everyone seems to love his project! They all look so impressed," Peggy pointed out, as we stood in a relatively quiet spot.

I smiled, nodding. She was right, everyone who walked away from his table they would be praising the project. Except a few parents who thought that it was unfair that Tony was participating, considering his lineage. But I didn't want to hear those opinions. "I know, he looks so happy," I pointed out.

"Yeah.…He's really proud of his own work. He did well," Peggy said, smiling at him. All of us, Bucky, Peggy, Jarvis and I had all grown to love Tony like he was our son, and this was one of the proudest moments we have witnessed.

"I know. I just wished that Howard was here," I said, sighing lightly.

"Oh, Steve! You should stop trying!" Bucky said, exasperated. I glared at him.

"Howard is his father, Bucky! He should be here." I told him. He had to be here, to witness his son doing what he loved, to witness the skills that he had given Tony.

"Howard obviously doesn't care enough to come," Bucky grumbled.

"Oi! You two, stop it. This is Tony's big moment, don't ruin it." Peggy said harshly, glaring at the both of us, making us shut our mouths quickly.

Another 10 minutes went by before the big announcement came, about who would win the science fair. The teachers congratulated everyone on their hard work and how they were pleased to see such a variety of projects. They congratulated the parents and anybody who helped out their children. There was a big speech about how the winner wasn't necessarily better than anyone, that this was all fair, and that everyone won in their own right. It took about 10 minutes. They quickly announced the third and second place winners. Tony hadn't been called yet! This was either worrying or really really good. "And I'm pleased and honoured to announce the winner…. Is…. Tony Stark!" OH MY GOSH! The crowd burst into a huge mess of clapping and whooping, coming mostly from us, us all who supported Tony. Tony looked almost embarrassed as he walked up on stage to collect his trophy. But he also looked really happy. Then just like that everyone started to pack up and leave. Tony walked over to us and smiled brightly. There were happy tears in his eyes as he showed us all the trophy he won.

"You are brilliant! That was amazing!" Maria said, hugging and kissing Tony. Next was Peggy, "That was so wonderful, I'm so glad you won." Then Jarvis, "Well done, Master Tony! You did great! I knew you would win." Then the Howling Commando's were a babble of "congratulations", to "well done", to "Go Tony!" I could hardly understand. Then Bucky, who hugged him, ruffled his hair and gave him a high five, "See Tony, I knew you could do it! You did a great job out there, everyone loved you." Then Tony turned to me, smiling brightly. He had stopped crying and he held the trophy out to me.

"Here, you can have it. You helped me through this." He said and I paused. Woah.

"Oh no, Tony, I can't take it, it's all yours. You did the hard work, you deserve this," I told him, pushing the trophy back to him. He shook his head but kept it.

"Well, I will get you a present then! I wouldn't have been able to get out there without you. Thank you, Uncle Steve." He gave me a big hug, right around my waist and he buried his head in my stomach. I put my arms around him as best as I could.

"You did this yourself, Soldier. You were amazing." I whispered.

He pulled back and smiled at everyone. "We should pack up! We can go home and celebrate!" Bucky said, grinning. Everyone quickly agreed and we all went about to help Tony pack. We were basically done and everyone had already gone when we heard someone clear their throat.

I turned around first, and was surprised to see Howard standing there. He had his hands in his pockets, his hair was all tousled, totally unkempt. "Sorry, I'm late," he grumbled.

"Sorry! You're… SORRY! That's not acceptable Howard! I came by to specifically get you to come!" I shouted at him, stepping up into his face and he quickly backed away from me.

"I lost track of time!" He argued, looking slightly scared. I didn't care. I had had enough of this.

"Howard!" Tony said, running over to stand beside me. "You came!" He said, sounding almost happy. Wow. I hated this so much. "But you missed everything, everyone loved my project and I won. I actually won." Everything was quiet as Tony whispered the last three words. No one spoke, or moved. "You missed it." And he turned and ran away, his trophy dropping to the ground with a loud thud and clunk.


	4. 8 year old Tony- Christmas

It was Christmas day and Tony was still asleep it was super early in the morning and I was laying out all the presents when Howard walked in. “What are you doing Steve?” He asked, slightly annoyed.

I glanced over, smiling lightly. “I’m putting the presents under the tree, what else?” I went back to placing them neatly under the tree. I heard him sigh deeply, obviously disapproving. “What? You still hate Christmas?” I asked almost mockingly.

“Of course.” He grumbled, sitting down on the couch beside the tree. I glanced at him for a moment and saw how tired he looked, it was like he wasn’t listening to me at all.  
I shrugged and finished up with the presents. “Look I have to go get Bucky and Peggy and we’ll meet you back here, don’t wake up Tony before then, okay?” I asked him, standing up.

He nodded. “Yes, okay, whatever you say, Rogers.” He wasn’t even looking at me.

When I came back to Howard’s place the Christmas lights were all on, and everything looked so magical. Tony was going to love this. It was his favourite time of the year. Howard was still sitting in the same position as when I had left. Had he turned on the lights? Or was it Maria? “Howard?” I asked, sitting down beside him. “Do you want to go wake up Tony now?” I asked him.

“Not particularly.” He said, no emotion in his voice. Of course. I wasn’t surprised. Every year was the same.

“Oh come on! He’s your son, it would mean a lot to him if you woke him up and brought him down for his Christmas presents!” I said harshly, not wanting to shout, knowing Tony would wake up. “It’s Christmas for god’s sake!” Howard stared at me for a moment and frowned.

“No. I don’t want to.” He said just as harshly back. I closed my eyes and counted to 5 to calm down and stood up, shaking my head disapprovingly.

I walked upstairs as quietly as I could, Bucky following behind me. I didn’t want to wake Tony before we even got to his room. When we did Maria stood outside, smiling at me. But her eyes told her she was disappointed it wasn’t her husband. “No luck?” She whispered and I just shook my head. She glanced away from me with a deep sigh, the disappointment hanging in the air. “Ok. On the count of three, just like last year.” She held up her fist and slowly counted to 3 on her fingers. She opened and door and we all walked in. Tony was still asleep and Maria turned on his Captain America nightlight.

“Tony! Wake up little genius.” Bucky shouted, startling Tony awake with a small yell. He chuckled and I hit Bucky on the arm, that wasn’t the best way to wake up Tony, but he always seemed to enjoy it.

Tony sat up, rubbing his little eyes from sleep. He yawned and then smiled. He looked around at the faces and then frowned lightly. “Where’s da?” He asked, glancing at his mum.  
“Oh, sweetie, he’s downstairs.” She told him quietly, which made him look slightly less sad.

“Come on, Captain Tony, we are going downstairs in search of presents!” I said, picking him up and putting him on my shoulders. He laughed loudly and placed his hands on my head.

“Uncle Steve!” He yelled as I ran down the stairs, holding him securely. I knew this was the best way to lift his spirits. He loved it.

I ran around the house first, avoiding the living room, yelling, “It’s not here! Target still in search.”

Tony’s laughter filled up the house. “Uncle Steve! To the Christmas tree!” He shouted all throughout the house. Finally, we went into the living room and he gasped loudly. I set him down and he ran over to the room, dropping to his knees in front of it, a huge smile on his face. He glanced at me quickly. “Presents! There are so many!” He shouted happily. I smiled and sat down beside Howard on the couch. He didn’t look very impressed, but I didn’t care at least he was here, last year he claimed he was too busy and hadn’t shown up at all. So this was a much needed improvement on Tony’s behalf.

“Go on Tony, open a present!” I said, pointing at a huge box that stood right in front of him. I always loved Christmas time, it always made people happy, especially Tony, and that was important.

He grabbed the box and started tearing it apart, making Bucky chuckle slightly. Tony was always so excited about presents he wasn’t gentle with the wrapping. He opened it and gasped loudly. “No way!” He shouted, opening the box. It was his very own Captain America shield, made specifically for him so that it would fit with his size, as he was only 8. “I love it, thank you Santa.”

Howard grumbled. “Tony, we already told you Santa isn’t-“ I quickly shut him up by putting my hand over his mouth and glaring at him. I didn’t want to spoil santa for Tony.  
Tony hadn’t noticed as now he was running around with the shield on, pretending to fight with Bucky. Maria just sat, watching Tony and smiling to herself.

Once all the presents were open, Tony had certainly been spoiled, with all his new gadgets and toys that he had wanted, the day passed quickly. It involved a lot of food, lots of playing and laughter, snowball fights and finally a tired Tony at the end of the night. He had half fallen asleep against my arm by the time it was bedtime. I scooped him up and walked upstairs with him, and put him to bed. He lay there, smiling up at me. “Thanks, Uncle Steve.” He said sleepily.

“Hush. Go to sleep, Tony. And merry Christmas.” I said, smiling back at him.

“Merry Christmas. And… I love you.” He said, yawning at the end.

It made my heart melt a little. He was such a good kid. “I love you too, Tony. Now go to sleep and tomorrow we can play some more.” I said, kissing his forehead softly before leaving, shutting the door quietly behind me.


	5. 10 year old Tony- Bullies

There was a knock on my front door at around 4 one afternoon as I was sitting around reading. Who could that be? I got up to answer the door. I was surprised when I opened the door. “Uncle Steve?” Tony asked, tears in his eyes. I gasped and hugged him without giving a second thought. I didn’t like it when he came to me crying. Was it Howard again? Had he done something bad? I pulled away and put my arm around his shoulder, closing the door and leading him inside. I sat him down on the couch.

“Want a biscuit?” I asked him, squatting down in front of him. He sniffed and nodded softly, wiping his eyes. I gave him a sad smile. I quickly went to the kitchen and grabbed him a couple of biscuits and some water. I came back and sat down beside him, offering the biscuit. He nibbled at it, lost in his own mind. “Tony. What happened?” I asked tentatively. When it came to Howard Tony hardly ever told me what had happened, in case I… Beat up Howard. Again. Like I had done a few times. He just sat, and I let him eat and drink for a moment, wanting to ask so many questions, but I knew better, I just had to wait. Once he finished he looked at me with his big, brown eyes, tears still in his eyes.

He swallowed loudly, playing with his hands, his nervous tick. “I…. At school.” He began. “Some boys. They threatened to beat me up. They called me all sorts of horrible names. One even punched me in the gut.” He said, staring right at me. He knew I would understand, being bullied was my own childhood fear. Oh, my poor Tony. “I couldn’t defend myself, Uncle Steve, these boys are like 5 years older than me. They are so big, and strong and I’m not! No one would protect me.” He burst into tears and I hugged him to me, resting my chin on his head. I closed my eyes, willing not to cry in front of him. I knew he wouldn’t mind, but I just couldn’t.

“Oh. Tony, Tony. Don’t listen to those silly boys.” I pulled away, my hands resting on his shoulders so that he would look straight at me. His body shuddered lightly from the crying and I felt for him. He had never come to me about bullying before, it had always been about Howard. This time, I could really do something about it. “They are just jealous that you are so smart. They will never have the capacity to understand half the things you do. You are special Tony, and they see that. But it’s ok to be special.” I smiled softly at him. “You…. Are incredibly talented, and I have a plan to get them to stop bullying you.” He smiled softly at me, a glint in his eyes. I wiped away the last remaining tears.

“Really? How? Are you going to teach me to fight like you do? Can I have a shield of my own?” He asked, all excited. It was sweet, but it wasn’t quite what I was thinking.

“Ok, so here’s what I’m gonna do…-“

After school the next day I went to the spot where Tony told me he had been bullied. I had put on my Captain America outfit, shield and all. Parents and children gave me second looks, but I was on a mission. I had learned to ignore the stares and I just walked. I walked around a corner at the back of the school, which wasn’t the nicest place. And there they were. Tony was backed into a corner, trying not to cry. There were about 5 other boys, way taller and older than Tony was. I was angry. “Who are you?” I said loudly, standing about 5 feet from the small group of boys. They all turned around, huge eyes. One of the boys who was holding Tony’s shirt let go when he saw me.

One of the boys saw me and started laughing. I was flabbergasted. Wow, this boy had some nerve. I strode over, and stared him right in the face. “How dare you.” I said, which made the boy laugh even harder. Was he the leader of this… pack?

“What is Captain Stupid doing here? Huh? Why is he interested in a little group chat?” This boy couldn’t have been more than 15 years old. Who was this kid? He was big and burly. He had dark brown hair, and evil brown eyes. He reminded me of the kid who used to bully me for being the tiny little scared kid I was.

I held myself in check. When it came to Tony, my emotions were a little over the top. But he was just a sweet boy who had a harsh life. He didn’t deserve this. “Ok. I see how this is going to go. You see this boy, the one you’re harassing. Well. I am his protector. And you, my friend, have crossed the line, so you shall answer to me. Is that clear?” I asked, going for the easy way.

The kid didn’t even look fazed. “Whatever. My dad said that what you do is a joke. You haven’t actually saved the world or anything, you’re just there as show.” This kid had real balls.

“How dare you speak to him like that!” Tony yelled, making the boy turn back around to him.

“Shut your mouth, bastard!” The boy yelled, which made me snap.

“Don’t you DARE call him that ever again, you hear me? Or else you will have to go through me to get to him. I will find your father and I will teach him a lesson about how to raise his own son. Do you hear me? You will NEVER go near Tony again, if I so much as hear about you touching a hair on his head, you will definitely be out of here,” I said harshly, through gritted teeth, standing toe to toe with him. He was a tall boy, coming up to my nose. What I saw in his eyes was actual fear. This was good. “Now get out of here before I find some teachers and tell on you. Because life will not be easy then,” I said as an added bonus. The boy nodded and ran off with his friends. Tony stared at me, impressed. I took my helmet off and walked over to him.

“That… Was… Amazing!” He said, running into me, giving me a hug. “I don’t think they’ll ever think about hurting me again. Thank you, Uncle Steve, thank you so much.” I smiled, hugging him back. That is what I wanted to see, a smile on his face. He already didn’t like school because he had no friends, now he didn’t need to worry about bullying. All was well in the world again.

“Oh, well look who it is? Steve in his natural habitat! Always picking fights with people.” I heard Bucky from behind me. I could even hear the smile in his voice. I let go of Tony and turned to face him.

“How long have you been there?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “As long as… Well, since I saw you walking around in that outfit. I knew something was up, and I was right.” He chuckled softly. “Good job, Rogers.” He came over and ruffled my hair before doing the same with Tony, who just laughed.


	6. 13 year old Tony- Candy

Tony was about 13 when he had gotten really sick and it had scared the hell out of me. So I had decided to go on a health kick. He had to make sure not to get sick again! I had to make sure he was nice and healthy. So our new regime was fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. Nothing else. Only that and water. Tony kind of hated me for it, but he had to be healthy! So I made sure that we all ate like that to set a good example.

"WHY! I don't need to eat healthy, I didn't get sick!" Bucky argued with me a week after it had all started. I just shrugged and pushed the plate back to him. He glared at it with disgust. "I hate you," he grumbled. And he reluctantly started eating it. Tony looked just as unhappy but he didn't say anything. I smiled as I sat there, Peggy looked none too happy, but she at least was going along with it and hadn't complained once.

\--------------------------------

Bucky looked around the room for a moment, making sure Steve wasn't here, "Ok I think we're safe!" He whispered to a wide-eyed Tony. He pulled out a bag, filled with candy and grinned like a mad man. Tony gasped loudly, clapping his hand over his mouth, absolutely flabbergasted.

"No. WAY!" He whispered loudly. "I can't believe you got this for me."

"For us." Bucky chuckled. "I can't let you eat all that candy by yourself. A treat from me to you for being so good about this health kick."

Tony grinned back at Bucky, looking super happy. He had already started to miss the candy that Bucky would bring him every day. But this was so much better than that. "This is gonna be great! What did you get me?" He asked, trying to look in the bag.

Bucky dumped the contents on the table with a sly grin. He was really enjoying the secrecy of the contraband smuggling. "Okay, here ya go, bud," he said, spreading his arms out wide in front of the table filled with all of Tony's favourite candy.

"This is the best day ever!" Tony said, almost jumping out of his seat with happiness. "You're the best Uncle Bucky." He grabbed a candy and greedily ate it, closing his eyes to savour the moment.

"Now don't eat too much too quickly," Bucky warned, grabbing his own candy.

For the next few minutes, they sat, eating candy and talking about school and other stuff. They heard someone come in and froze, candies halfway to their mouths. "Oh. Dear." It was Peggy. Tony slowly turned his head to look at her, grinning sheepishly. "I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing," she sounded almost disappointed, but not quite. Her expression however was filled with disappointment.

Bucky just shrugged helplessly and continued to eat the candy. "Nope, you're not seeing a thing. This is just a bad dream for you."

Peggy scoffed lightly. "When Steve-"

"IF!" Bucky interjected, smiling jokingly.

" _When_ ," Peggy emphasised, "Steve finds out he will kill you both and it would not be pleasant."

Tony chuckled, "We're not afraid of Uncle Steve!" Peggy glanced at him, eyebrows raised slightly, she didn't even need to say anything and Tony and Bucky knew exactly what they meant 'are you sure?' they were saying.

"You should be." Was all she said.

Jarvis then proceeded to walk in, not looking too happy. "I hope for your sake Master Tony that you don't get killed because I don't want to get blood in the carpet again. It's a nightmare to get out!" He said, making Tony laugh. Jarvis had had experience in the field of cleaning out blood from the carpet when Steve would 'accidentally' punch Howard in the nose.

"We won't let that happen, don't worry Jarvis. The carpet is going to stay clean." Tony said with finality like he was going to make sure it wouldn’t.

Jarvis just looked at him with a slight look of concern. "Don't make promises you know you can't keep," was all he said.

Bucky just laughed, "Ah. It'll be fine Jarvis. Want a candy?"

Jarvis looked like he was ready to run over and grab one, "Don't mind if I-" He glanced at Peggy who had elbowed him, she shook her head slowly and menacingly. "If I don't." 

Jarvis looked at the ground, making Peggy looked slightly happier.

"Now, I suggest that you two clear away this candy before Steve gets back, or else things will end badly for the two of you," Peggy told them.

Bucky glared at her a moment, "Nah. We'll get it done before he gets back. We've still got a few hours left."

"You sure about that?" Peggy asked, leaving the room. Tony and Bucky looked at each other with alarm. When was Steve coming home? What was it that she knew and they didn't?

\-----------------------------------------------------------

I got home earlier than expected and was looking for Bucky and Tony everywhere. What I found was like a horror film. There they were in the kitchen, Jarvis standing in the doorway, and the table… Oh gosh the table… Was covered in candy! I gasped loudly and all three heads turned to me. Jarvis looked alarmed and ran off quickly, saying, "I wasn't a part of this. I didn't see anything." Tony looked guilty. Bucky's eyes were huge and he quickly glanced between me and the candy and back to me. He didn't look guilty or anything, but he did look slightly alarmed.

"Get rid of the evidence!" Bucky yelled, starting to grab all the candy he could and shoved it in his mouth. Tony did the same thing. I just stood, horrified! They ate the candy as fast as they could and it was gone within a couple of moments. "See, you have no evidence!" Bucky said triumphantly, pointing a finger at me. He then looked very uncomfortable, a hand on his stomach. He then proceeded in coughing up a wrapper, taking it out of his mouth and staring at it with disgust.

"Oh dear, ew!" I yelled, wrinkling my nose with disgust.

Bucky started to chuckle but stopped, looking very sick. "Ugh. I don't feel too good."

I glared at him, "That was incredibly stupid." I scolded him. "Come, lets get you guys to lie down."

"This proves nothing, Steve." He held up the candy wrapper. "You want me to litter or something, I'm no animal! Just think of America, think of the children. Think of the American children!" He said, just as I took a step closer. I just shook my head, very disappointed in Bucky, but I should have known something like this was gonna happen. He loved going behind my back like that with Tony.

Tony didn't look good and he suddenly threw up. He grumbled, holding his stomach. "I'm sorry Uncle Bucky, I tried to, but I just couldn't hold it."  
Bucky smiled lightly at him. "It's okay, Tony, I salute you, brave soldier. Face the captain with your head held high." He told him, not looking very good either. He groaned a little. "Uh. I feel sick. Where is the bin?"

I chuckled at him, pointing at him, "Yeah there it is." I tried not to laugh too much at my own joke, but the look on Bucky's face was brilliant. He glared at me, hunched over slightly with his hand over his stomach. His eyes narrowed and his mouth turned into a huge scowl.

"You're going to pay for this." He mumbled after a lot of incoherent words. I knew he was trying to keep his dignity, but it wasn't working out very well.

"So, tell me, what have you learned from this?" I asked him after a long pause of letting him come to his senses.

He looked at me a moment, "Candy good, wrapper bad." He said it in all seriousness and I just frowned at him.

I turned to Tony, hoping to get a better answer. "How about you, Tony?" I asked, crossing my arms.

He sighed lightly, his head hanging in shame. "If Aunt Peggy says it's a bad idea, then it's a bad idea." That was a much better answer.

"Yes, exactly. Listen to Aunt Peggy. Now, come on you too, drink some water and we'll get you to lie down."

"Can we watch TV then?" Tony asked, looking slightly happier. I thought about it for a moment.

I shrugged, "Fine. Only if you promise never to eat contraband candy from Bucky again. No matter what he says!"

Tony nodded quickly, "Yes of course. I promise never to eat contraband candy from Uncle Bucky ever again, no matter what he tells me."

I chuckled, ruffling his hair lightly before picking him up slowly to carry him to the living room.

I put him down and he smiled up at me. "Thanks, Uncle Steve. Don't get too mad at Uncle Bucky, okay?" He told me and I rolled my eyes, before kissing his forehead lightly.  
"I'll try not to." I walked back into the dining room and Bucky had his head leaning against the tabletop, grumbling to himself. "Want me to carry you to the living room as well?" I joked. He sat up and glared.

"Why do you always have to gloat?" He said, standing up slowly.

"I'm not gloating." I chuckled and walked over and picked him up, while he protested and walked him to the living room. In times like these, I really felt like a father, looking after both Tony and Bucky, those two mischievous boys. I put him down on the other couch and he glanced up, a slight smile on his lips.

"Thanks." He grumbled so softly I almost didn't hear.

"What?" I asked him, I was kind of enjoying this.

"Thanks," he said, sighing. He rarely said thanks to me and I just smiled, enjoying the moment. "I'll try not to destroy evidence again." He leaned over to Tony, "But no guarantees." Tony just laughed as I proceeded to hit Bucky's arm.

Far away I heard the shout from Jarvis, "MASTER TONY! WHAT HAPPENED! NOT THE CARPET!"


	7. 11 year old Tony- Broken Arm

"Tony, be careful!" I shouted as Tony laughed while climbing a tree. It was a really lovely day, all sun, no cloud. So Jarvis, Bucky, Tony, Peggy and I had decided to go out for a picnic in the park.

At the moment Bucky and Tony were playing a game of tag, though it was much more complicated than your average game of tag, as they had decided to add extra rules plus they had certain roles. I didn't understand the rules.

Tony had started to climb the tree after Bucky had fallen over while trying to tackle him. He had started climbing higher than I hoped he would. "Uncle Steve! Look how high I've climbed!" Tony shouted, sitting down on a branch while leaning against the trunk.

Bucky started to climb the tree but didn't get very high. "Ah! I can't get any higher! It looks like Soldier Tony has won the day" Bucky sounded defeated, but I knew he was only playing.

Tony whooped, "Yay! Victory. Good game Uncle Bucky."

"Yes, good game, now carefully climb back down before you hurt yourself," I shouted up to him. He stuck his tongue out at me.

"Oh, don't worry about me! I know what I’m doing," he said to me, looking triumphant as he began to climb down. I watched carefully as he made his way down, too quickly.

"Slow down, master Tony. You have plenty of time to get down," Jarvis said, sounding worried.

"I'll be fine-AH!" Tony shouted out as his foot slipped and he hung by his arms from a branch about 3 meters from the ground.

"Listen, Tony! You can do this!" Peggy shouted, sounded completely calm. I started to panic, running over to the tree and glancing up at Tony's dangling legs.

"I'm slipping!" He shouted as one of his arms slipped and my heart stopped a moment.

"Listen, brave soldier, you can do this, you can pull yourself up!" Bucky was saying, standing beside me.

Jarvis I could hear was muttering to himself, pacing just behind us, "Oh god, no. He's going to be ok. Jarvis, calm down."

"No! I can't do it! I'm going to fall! Oh god! Please help!" He shouted.

"I'm coming!" Bucky said quickly before starting to climb up. But before he could get near Tony, it happened.

Time slowed down as Tony's arm slipped and he started to fall. One of his arms hit one of the branches. My heart skipped a beat as I watched it happen, a shout sounding in my throat. I held my arms out, trying to catch Tony. This was absolutely terrifying. I half caught him with an "oof", but we both went down. Crashing to the ground.

"Oh, dear!" Jarvis shouted, running over, slowly lifting Tony off of me. "Master Tony? Mister Rogers?" Concern evident in his voice. I lay there for a moment trying to catch my breath as the fall had winded me. Then I quickly sat up to see how Tony was. He was quietly sobbing, pain was written all over his face.

"Oh, Tony!" I shouted, crawling over to him. He whimpered as he saw me. "You'll be alright," I whispered. Jarvis let go of him and Tony tried to hug me, but a sharp inhalation of pain stopped him.

"I think he may have a broken arm." Jarvis pointed out. He was probably right, Tony was favouring his right arm, cradling it against his chest.

Tony glanced down at his arm and squeezed his eyes shut. "It hurts so much." He sobbed softly. I didn't like seeing him this way, but I knew he could get through this. A broken arm could be fixed.

"Alright. Listen to me. We're going to take you to the doctors, okay? They have to see how bad the damage is, then they will have to fix it and put a cast on it. It will all go by quickly. Can you be brave for me? Can you come to the doctors with us?" I said, looking into his face even though he wasn't looking at me, his eyes still closed. After I had finished talking, he slowly opened one eye, peering out at me.

"Okay." He nodded softly. I sighed in relief. If he had said no I didn't really want to go against his wishes, it wouldn't be fair to him.

I smiled at him and slowly helped him up, leading him back to the car. "Will you stay with me?" He asked in a whisper, glancing up at me as we walked.

I gave him an encouraging smile, glad to see he was somewhat okay. I remembered the first time I had broken a bone, and the only one who was there for me was Bucky, luckily, because the other boys that had witnessed it had all laughed at me. At least Tony had us, a safe environment. He was still crying, but I could tell that he was understanding the situation now, calculating what he had to do to ensure that he wasn't in too much pain, that he wasn't going to be hurt anymore. That's just how his mind worked. Over the years I had picked up on the fact that he thought differently than us. He had once told me that the only people that understood him, and he meant [i]really[/i] understood him was me and Jarvis. There was still a part of Peggy, Bucky and even Maria that didn't quite understand him. I was kind of flattered, but at least I knew that I was getting to him, that we were able to build a good relationship for when things got tough, that even though he had everyone else that still loved him and that would look after him, that I could be there for him, for all the times where he might not be able to go to them. And that made me feel special.

After we had taken Tony to the doctor we got home and let him rest on the couch. We had rung up Maria and told her what had happened and as soon as we got home she fussed over him. I smiled as I stood back, watching as Maria tended to her baby. He would always be her baby, no matter how old he was getting. Tony just smiled and nodded whenever she asked if he was doing alright, which was like every 5 seconds. When she went to go make him some food Tony beckoned me over. I crouched down in front of him. "Hey, what is it?" I asked him.

"I just want to thank you, for trying to catch me," he said softly and with love in his eyes. He really meant it. "You saved my life."

I chuckled lightly. "No, now you're just being dramatic. I just saved your fall. And no need to thank me, I'll do everything for my little man." I ruffled his hair lightly, making Tony chuckled.

"Will I be alright?" He asked me. "Can I still climb trees?"

I smiled softly, "Only if you behave." I paused as Tony's eyes grew wide. "I'm kidding. Yes, you will definitely be alright, you're one tough little man. You can climb all the trees in the world, but make sure you're safe. I wouldn't recommend climbing trees any time soon, or else your mother will have a heart attack, and we do not want that." Tony chuckled and we talked a little bit more until we had dinner and he fell into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
